CD Reviews

Guilty Pleasure

Melkor | Orlando, Florida United States | 05/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Right off the bat the production values strike you as better than Venom but worse than Show No Mercy by Slayer. Producer Brian Slagel and guitarist David Stuart find one of the strangest sounds for metal guitar to that point, but the riffs abound for those who delve into this southern metal cauldron and a couple of anthems to boot arise for your trouble.

"Goblet of Gore" is about as classic as 80's speed metal gets, with one of the most underrated bridge chants in metal history. Vocalist Stacy Anderson is actually discernible without the lyric sheet and the band shows surprising taste with the all- to- brief acoustic piece "Obitiuary". For the most part, the Hallowed ones stick with a mid-paced tempo, really only hitting overdrive on the insane "Suicide".

Hallows Eve were always a band born from the underground, so expect no mainstream leanings here. There are some weaker efforts, and the album definitely sounds dated, but the band avoided the sterotypical falsettos and shrieks and managed a few bowel grinding growls and melodicism, something often devoid from generic thrash bands.

Arguably, the bands third track is their best known and thickest. "Lethal Tendencies" was featured on the critically acclaimed "River's Edge" movie soundtrack and encapsulates the feel of this album perfectly. Hallows Eve will never be known as ground breaking, but this album reminds me a lot of the Evil Dead movies, a cult classic but missed by the majority of metal heads. The lyrics are typical death and horror but the vibe is... I don't know... different than most bands during the period. There is a genuine feel of glee, fun, and innocence with these Georgia thrashers. The fact that these guys have reunited to enthusiastic support in 2005 should give some indication as to their continued underground popularity. Highly recommended."

Goblet of Gore...

(...) | Monroeville, PA USA | 11/14/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Goblet of Gore is one of the greatest metal songs of all time. Yes, I did say that. It is a true masterpiece. The production on this album is kinda bad, and the guitar sound is odd, but I would pay double just to have Goblet of Gore. We the people shall destroy..."